A Conversation with Chef Todd Gray

I recently had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Todd Gray, Executive Chef and co-owner of Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC. First, he gave me a look at some local beef from Virginia that he is dry aging at the restaurant. He explained the dry aging process and what it does for the beef. One piece of beef that I had a chance to taste had actually been aged for 70 days -- far more than the 28 or so typical of major steakhouses. In this video, we go behind the scenes to see the dry aging process in action.

Some of the other topics we discussed included:

The origin of the restaurant's name and how it reflects that the menu changes substantially every season with many minor modifications taking place monthly and even weekly based on what products are available.
How Chef Gray balances getting great fresh ingredients with the desire to be as local as possible.
The movement of seasons for particular produce and how it will move from south to north and he sources ingredients based on where in the region they are showing the best quality for that given week.
The growing sophistication of Washington diners, as they become more adventurous and as more younger diners become more sophisticated and savvy about what they are eating.
The increasing movement of prominent New York chefs into the DC marketplace and how that impacts the dining scene.
Chef Gray's evolving views of food bloggers, where he has now come to understand that the online food world is here to stay and that his mission is simply to run a tight kitchen with great dishes. Over the past few years he has gone from wishing that people who wanted to take pictures of dishes and post them online with a critique would simply stay away from his restaurant. Today, he accepts (if not welcomes) the attention and respects the views expressed. He suggests a generational difference impacts the view of many chefs, and notes that his own cooks talk about food online and are focused on TV shows like Top Chef.
The influence of Italian cuisine that comes from Chef Gray's tenure as a chef under Roberto Donna at Galileo in Washington, DC.
How Chef Gray balances the demands of family with the all-consuming nature of the restaurant business. He discusses what it is like to work with his wife, Ellen, who is an active partner in the restaurant.

A Conversation with Chef Todd Gray

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